Future Texas Longhorns Speak Up for Their Team's Amid CFP Chaos

With every passing day, it seems that the Texas Longhorns’ hopes of a College Football Playoff berth dwindle.

Although they don’t agree with the way in which their team has been ranked, it seems as though head coach Steve Sarkisian and his team have started to come to terms with their likely fate.

That being said, multiple Texas signees have spoken up to back their future team.

Future Longhorns on CFP selection

Texas Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian before the game against the Texas A&M Aggies | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The selection committee might not agree, but multiple upcoming Longhorns believe this year’s Texas team is of a playoff caliber.

Four-star wide receiver signee Chris Stewart thinks that the Longhorns’ rivalry win against the Texas A&M Aggies last weekend proves the team’s worthiness of making the playoff bracket.

“This win over Texas A&M was a big statement win for us, and we should be in the playoffs,” he told Rivals. “We beat three ranked teams this season, we gave Texas A&M their only loss, and we are one of the best 12 teams.”

Five-star athlete signee Jermaine Bishop Jr. made a similar statement.

“The win over A&M was insanely huge,” Bishop said. “It’s a ginormous rivalry and definitely a statement win. Apart from the rivalry standpoint, we showed the world what it looks like when the offense is webbed together.”

What Bishop and Stewart could bring to the table for Texas

Both Bishop and Stewart have the potential to help contribute to this offense as soon as next season. Both players will graduate high school early to get to work on the Forty Acres this spring.

They are part of a recruiting class that currently holds the No. 10 spot nationally, and their strong recruitment of the 2026 class suggests that the ceiling for this team could be high. They secured most of their top prospects through Early National Signing Day, so movement will probably be relatively limited from here on out.

Texas will have to address some of this year’s shortcomings right off the bat to ensure a faster start to the 2026 season, but they will be able to do so through both the transfer portal and through spring practices. Additionally, as Bishop noted, this offense at its best was a force to be reckoned with this past season.

The official playoff bracket will be released on Sunday, Dec. 7., revealing the Longhorns' final 2025 fate. Most likely, they will be headed to Orlando, Florida, for the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl.